The Price Of Rain
by ReturnToSender
Summary: Sora is comfortable in his little space colony. Riku swears a lot in his spaceport elsewhere. Cloud likes to screw people over, and I'm pretty sure Leon just likes to screw. So where does that leave us? Hell if I know. R&S, eh, L
1. Chapter 1

1_The Price Of Rain_

_The Madness Far Outweighs The Sadness_

Sora came here often. The sound of oceans crashing (crackling), the water painting the sky a deep indigo - meeting like mirrors on the horizon. Every couple minutes the waves would turn (vertical hold) and... _Beep, beep_, NO SIGNAL. Sora was disappointed then. He was reminded the pretty holo-screens were just that -- _hollow _of any real realness, and it made him sad to think it. The image popped and whirred before flicking back on, shading his face a Technicolor blue.

_Come see the Fabulous planets of the Laguna System! _

He sighed, pushing his hand curiously through the image beams. Despite the almost daily let down, Sora loved coming to the Bazaar district - with all its beautiful adverts of far off Other Worlds and buzzing gizmos, delicious smells. He'd decided it didn't matter if they lied or not - they still existed _somewhere _and that's what made them special. Unique. It was hollow here maybe, but elsewhere it was still _real_.

Sora wondered, as he wormed his way through the crowded streets, whether that made any sense or not. Roxas always said he never made any sense, really. According to his friend, it had something to do with Sora thinking a lot, and then blurting out the tail end of it - which would usually have nothing to do with what they were talking about in the first place. Roxas also said just _knowing_ the other boy's thought process was scary. Sora remembered punching him for that.

"Hey there So! You been well? How's yur mum?" The scruffy vendor smiled at him, deftly tossing forth a paopu fruit. It was one of the few things that would grow in abundance on Colony 2023-9129, as most everything else required importation from their neighboring planet system. It made things like food expensive, but at least living was cheap so finances evened out anyway.

Skimming over the ripe and colorful fruit, Sora decided to bring home a bag of Paopu for his mother. She always felt better after eating some.

"Good Mr. Highwind! The artificial air here really seems to help her breathing. Everyday she looks a little stronger, you know?"

The older man chuckled, a chewed up toothpick hanging from his mouth. He then tossed a couple of his freshest fruit in a bag and dropped it on top of Sora's head. It looked ridiculous. The boy grinned as he crossed his eyes looking upwards, before letting it slip off his hair and land squarely in his palm. He laughed and went to tug out his wallet.

Mr. Highwind just crossed his arms and shook his head. "Naw ah, nothin' doin.' You keep that money for something special. Cid Highwind is a big name around here, and he ain't got no need for pocket change. Tell yur mum its an early birthday present."

Sora was ready to argue of course, but at the sharp yet concerned look he received, thought better of it. Cid Highwind was synonymous with stubborn-as-a-mule, and Sora knew he'd only feel bad if he went and tossed a present back in his friend's face. The man had been nothing but kind to his family since they'd arrived - light years from anyone who'd once called them kin. He'd been the man who replaced their plumbing when the relics had gone and exploded, and the same man who'd patted his shoulder when his mother had been rushed to emergency again.

Sora was a soft heart, as his mother would say, and he didn't have it in him to be prideful at the cost of another.

"Thanks Mr. Highwind. Oh! Almost forgot." Reaching into his pocket, Sora extracted some highly techy piece he'd found dump-diving. It was amazing how many things people just took for granted and threw away. "I thought you might like it, 'cause I remember a picture just like it hanging in your shop. It's a little rusted, but I figure you being Cid Highwind and all, that shouldn't be a problem." He grinned impishly at the end, tossing the piece towards a very excited mechanic.

Mr. Highwind gazed at it with gleeful abandon, checking over every inch, before sobering up when he realized how stupid he must look. It still didn't get rid of the hundred-watt smile stretched across his face though.

"Damn kid, your like the son I never had!" Sora felt a little embarrassed by the comment, but pleased all the same. He'd always wanted to be someone's son, have a father, and he knew there was no one much better than Mr. Highwind.

Taking a juicy bite from the fruit still in his hand, Sora managed a good-bye before heading futher into the bustle of the district. Cid watched him go, knowing the kid would be back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, until - well, the end of forever he guessed.

000

"Shit Zig! Pull 'er up a little more will ya?!" Riku angrily shoved his work goggles above his eyes, before dousing the torch he'd been using to weld on a ship panel. He swore Zigbar had been put on this base just to torture the shit out of him. He also swore that in two more months he'd quit this job and leave some other fool to take his place.

Riku cursed his greed and inate laziness. He'd been saying he'd quit for almost three years now - and though there were other forces effecting his stay - it was mostly due to the fact Satan paid so good. Or well. Whatever. Scrambling out from under the ship, he pushed the sleeves of his work suit up to his elbows, and proceeded to stomp over to the window of the crane hover currently holding up the ship. There, he tapped on the glass. Zigbar's evil face leered back at him and Riku made a concerted effort not to maim and/or murderlize the freak. Yes, _murderlize _- it was a word like everything else said on rerun cartoons.

Zigbar mouthed the words 'can I help you?' and Riku decided he felt like _kicking _the glass instead. The large man flinched at the action before mouthing a 'fuck you.'

"Zig, will you just pull it up a couple feet?! Dammit is that so much of a problem?! My ass is getting steel burn from the floor!"

The man just flipped him off, laughing, before he finally complied.

A couple hours later found Riku cooling down at one of the port bars, eating and going over a couple schematics for the ship their garage was working on. He'd originally laughed at the amount of damage - mostly because blown engine one, two and eight, the flattened nose, plus the strained metal on the intake valve all screamed JOY-FREAKING-RIDE. He'd gotten the whole story later and had almost split a seam at the fact he'd been right. A luxury grade liner to boot!

"Hey Riku!"

"Uh?" He looked up with a huge sandwich hanging out of his mouth and almost swallowed it in shock. Oh God save him - it was Cloud. Cloud-fucking-Strife of the _you-don't-got-my-money-I-gut-you-bitch _credo. It was a damn good thing he never gambled - else with his luck he'd probably have no legs, and possibly no arms as well.

The tall and expressionless man swung a chair around, its back pressed against his chest, before he crossed his arms casually along the top. He pulled on a cool smile that didn't sit so well with Riku. Cool smiles from Cloud Strife didn't mean good things. Nope, not at all.

"How much will you pay me for this...information I have, Riku?"

Riku felt his eye twitch. "Depends on what kind a info, Strife. Like, for one, I most certainly am not interested in how many times a night you get it on with that butch boyfriend a yours. Neither am I interested in how many freckles you have on your ass, or how many drinks it takes to get you _real _chummy."

Cloud offered a glare and a rude gesture in return. "Better be careful Riku, my 'butch boyfriend' might hear about that and become offended. Now, we wouldn't want him offended, would we?"

Riku blanched, poking nervously at his sandwich. He'd suddenly lost his appetite. Cloud was certainly the Bonnie to Leon's Clyde of course, but somehow Leon managed to pull off 'psychopathically eviler than all the psychopaths roasting in the ninth level of hell,' just a little bit better than his other half (there was no way in hell Riku was going to say 'his better half'). Maybe it was just the fact the last guy who'd messed with Cloud - and in effect, Leon - had ended up strung off the roof of the docking port with his dick in his mouth that made Riku rethink his words.

Yes, he definitely felt like living with all his parts _intact_, thank-you!

Riku shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Damn he wanted to slap the smug look off Cloud's face. "Yeah, yeah, fine, fine. Look, just what does this info involve?"

Cloud twisted his nose at the chips Riku had left open on the table, bypassing them instead for a bottle of tea. He took a long sip before succinctly answering. "Why, Xehanort, of course."

Riku had to smack his chest a couple times before finally hacking up the piece of sandwich that lodged in his throat. He turned sharp, watery-from-almost-choking eyes on Cloud. "Xehanort?! You fucktard! Why didn't you tell me?! Shit, name your damn price, you asshole!"

Cloud smirked. Ah, the joys of being the awesomeness that was him.

000

"50,000 Creds. I can't FUCKING believe it - fifty, fucking, thousand creds! GOD DAMMIT, DO I LOOK LIKE A FRIGGEN' PIGGY BANK?!" Riku smashed out another dent in the ship siding, pissed beyond belief he'd walked straight into that one. Cloud knew how to work a mark all right, and Riku just lost his cool and played right into it. Gah, whatever. Maybe he felt like a dumbass at the end, but at least he'd gotten the information he'd waited _two years _to find. Xehanort was on a Colony in the Hallow Bastion System.

He just had to get to Hallow Bastion.

Angrily, Riku lifted his hammer before dropping it with the force of a mack truck. He bared his teeth at the new dent he'd created.

_Xehanort_. He'd get that fucking bastard.

000

A/N - this'll end up being like three chapters. Just a short, slightly confusing bit a work. Review, if you'd like.


	2. Chapter 2

1_The Price Of Rain_

_What Do You Know? Dreams Really Do Fall Out Of The Sky_

Sora cringed at the next series of tremors that shook their flat. These station 'quakes' had been going on several times a day for over a week now. Originally the news broadcasts had cautioned against going outside and said it was only a small bug in the control system - but that had been days ago, the off-planet signal now dead. In fact, all non-colony communications were dead. Sora wasn't a secret agent governmental spy or anything, but even he knew that wasn't a good thing. Then of course, he'd eavesdropped on Mr. Highwind, who'd spoken of 'Anti-tech attacks, Terrorists, And What They Should Do,' and that hadn't helped matters any.

Sora wasn't stupid, so if something malfunctioned in the colony's propulsion unit - well, he knew they'd be dead in the water, totally vulnerable to near planet gravitation. They'd be flatter than a pancake then. He also _definitely _didn't want to start thinking about some crazy Terrorist slipping an air-borne agent into the O2 system.

They wouldn't even know...

"Err, this sucks."

Picking his way across junk he'd seen no further use in restraining, Sora slowly made for his mother's room. He pushed the door open and breathed his usual sigh of relief upon seeing her in bed, comfortably reading a book. She didn't even bother acting upset - as Sora had quit himself a couple days ago. It was strange, really, what people could grow accustomed to.

"Hey mom, you okay?" He asked, while kicking aside some of her broken pottery. Sora was sad his mother had lost the colorful flowers which usually cheered her up, but figured he could take their place for now. Summoning a bright smile, he bounded onto her bed, and - if it was possible - grinned even brighter when she peeked her glowing blue eyes over the book. It looked like one of those romance novels she was always leafing through.

"I'm fine baby. Feeling better like always!" She flashed a smile reminiscent of her son's, her fist pumped jauntily into the air. Sora thought his mother was such a dork, the only thing missing from her display a loud 'Yosh!' of excitement.

"Your so dumb Ma. Well, I just wanted to make sure you were okay, 'cause I'm gonna head down to the incinerator and salvage some junk. I figure we're gonna need parts for the fridge soon." The woman quickly sobered, nodding her head and reminding her son to bring the Mog just in case.

Sora rolled his eyes at the comment, also thinking his mother was way too much of a worry wort. As it was she should be worrying about herself, and he almost decided to leave the Mog behind so it could look after _her_. Then he saw how hard she tried to inch her way out of bed, casting anxious blue eyes in his direction. He wouldn't make it ten feet.

"Okay mom. Just promise you won't move from here 'til I get back, alright?" She snorted and gave him that _'you-don't-tell-me-what-to-do-mister–its-the-other-way-around_' look mother's had somehow perfected since the dawn of time. Sora just gave her an equally incredulous snort, and an equally stern glare. His mother wilted like a flower, motioning him to leave with an airy hand.

"Yes, yes. Get going, you little spawn of hell that I somehow birthed! Beating on your poor mother! Tch, what will all your friends think?" She grinned, and Sora just stuck his tongue out at the light teasing.

"...Maybe that they should've thought of it first!" His mother shook a fist at him, throwing her pillow as the door closed behind him.

000

Sora blinked. Since that hadn't done anything, he blinked again. Maybe one more time for good measure? When the strange vision still wasn't gone, Sora figured he'd exhausted his amount of blinking for the day - and instead let his jaw drop, pointing an incredulous finger at the body lying atop the scrap pile. The little fluffy Mog on his shoulder meeped and clung tighter to his shirt.

"WHY THE F#$& IS THERE A BODY HERE?!"

000

Riku didn't want them to come along in the first place. Number one, he'd had to jack one of the ships from the Garage to get here, and - _fuck _- didn't the two fruit-cakes have anything better to do besides bug the hell out of him? Like he hadn't made it perfectly clear, since the beginning mind you, how much he despised them. They were fucking weirdos.

Riku peered around his seat and glared.

"Got any sevens?"

_Grunt_.

Rubbing irritably at the bridge of his nose, Cloud decided his boyfriend was a freaking dumbass. Well, okay, so he wasn't _irritated_ by that fact per-se - it was impossible to be irritated with Leon when the guy came with a very clear warning label, '_Easily annoyed mute. Fuck. Off. Sucka.' _- though some heavy dislike was starting to settle in. Yes, it was true Leon was generally quiet, but to digress all the way to animal noises? They usually left that for the bedroom.

Boredly shuffling through his cards, Cloud bent one of the Jokers and flicked it at Leon. The man hardly batted an eyelash. Freaking _insane_. Riku, he knew, was further up in the cock pit no doubt nursing his boredom with a couple nudie mags. Cloud gave a mental eye roll and glanced towards the boy in question. Really, Riku was so gay it wasn't even funny, and one day his self-imposed heteroness was going to jump up and bite him in the ass. When that happened, well, Cloud would gladly pay creds to watch.

"What."

The blonde rolled his eyes. He'd almost forgotten what his boyfriend's voice _sounded_ like. "It speaks."

Sending him a silently reproachful look, Leon slowly stretched out his back, releasing a slight hiss when his bones popped. Cloud stared at him with heavy eyes. Leon was damn lucky he was so hot - because there was no way in hell Cloud would've put up with him any other way.

"This ship's too small." Leon muttered, giving his boyfriend another very pointed look. Cloud just twitched and sighed.

"God, was the pre-flight marathon sex not good enough for you?"

Leon cocked an eyebrow, a little irritated that Cloud would even think that. Any kind of sex with the blonde was good enough - hell, it was beyond good enough, straight to _damn-fine-I-creamed-myself-orgasmic_ good enough. Leon was just bored and when that happened he wanted to fuck. It was sort of like fat chicks and food.

Huh, no wonder he'd been a constant two-fifteen since he'd hit his twenties.

"Don't say that again. I'll slap you."

Cloud got a flirty look on his face. "Promise?"

"Don't do that either. It makes me mad I can't screw you." Leon scowled at him.

There was silence between the two for a moment.

"...Maybe if we stand - "

"You guys are insane! God dammit don't you ever stop?! Your both exactly like that Demyx kid who just. Keeps. Going. And going. And Gawd!! Leon can you at least _try _to keep it in your pants for a while?"

Cloud clucked his tongue and decided someone was going to kick Riku's ass one day. Kid was way too tense. Leon, on the other hand, extended a much more physical display of his annoyance. In the second it took Cloud to realize what the man was up to, a very large and very sharp gunblade was sticking out of the control panel - inches from Riku's face. The screens and buttons crackled ominously for a moment, their lights flicking on and off, before the ship finally fell into darkness.

Riku stood slowly from his chair and turned towards the back, eerily silent as he regarded the two. The emergency lights had blipped on about a second after the power failed.

For a kid who was about seven years younger and about a foot shorter than them, Riku sure had some serious glare power. It was almost freaky the waves of murder spilling off him.

"You know what?! I don't give a damn if you kill me! Because we're dead anyway if I can't get this heap running again!"

Cloud watched wide eyed as the kid charged forward, intent on killing Leon - and snorted when Riku came up short.

His boyfriend had a hand on his head, restraining him. Cloud openly laughed as Riku struggled to punch and kick his way out.

"Mother fucker! Fight like a man dammit, or are you just too damn gay!? Stupid fag!"

Leon had a ticked look in his eye, the one which boded ill for their young associate. Cloud shook his head. Christ, he wasn't even sure he'd call the kid an associate - since the main reason they'd hopped Riku's barge in the first place was for the free passage. It was expensive getting around these days.

Sighing, he knew they'd never get anywhere if Riku didn't shut up and work.

"Look little gray haired punk, stop PMSing and get to fixing the ship all ready. We still have two hours anticipated flight and with this added bonus we'll be out here even longer. I want to eat. I'm hungry."

Riku turned his head slowly, a suspiciously blank look on his face. He flipped him the finger. _Little shit_. Then, shaking Leon's hand off, the boy turned and strode purposely towards the control panel. He ripped the gunblade from its hole and flung it over a shoulder, before pulling up the twisted plasti-metal cover and working furiously on the under wire.

They were back on line within minutes - Riku's ingenuity and a piece of Bubble Yum to thank for that.

Leon blinked and sat himself back on the floor, sword leaning casually at his side. Cloud continued to stand, arms crossed, head resting against the wall. He was only vaguely surprised when his boyfriend decided to speak up.

"Is that asstard bi-polar or something?"

Cloud shrugged. Hell if he knew.

Their little accident, happily, only cost them about a half hour in flight time, and before long they were idling a klick away from the colony-station where Xehanort reportedly was. Riku hacked into the stations files, bringing up the schematics for the place and pinpointing the most convenient place of entry - a very old and dated docking bay. Since it had gone out of use long before the introduction of new security procedures - created especially for entrance or exit within the colony - operating it would not alert anyone they didn't want alerted.

Leaving Riku to move about as he pleased.

They managed to get through the first gate all right, and after oxygen and pressure were restored, Riku concentrated on getting the second gate open. The metal circle was rusted and groaned angrily as he continued to push in the sequence, finally punching his dearly abused computer - he'd remotely accessed the gate's control panel, not wanting to hunt it down manually - when the door finally screeched and gave way.

"Ah, yes. I am a damn fine genius." Riku placed two booted heels on top of the ship's panel, clasping his hands behind his head before leaning back in his chair. He grinned as they bobbed slowly inside and over what looked like a scrap yard.

"Yes Riku. We all know you're the best. Now come down to the hold so you can figure out a place to land." Cloud flicked the top of his head before he turned and sauntered over to the latter tucked in back. It went straight down to the cargo hold where the docking platform was, and where Riku needed to be so he could pick out a spot to land. The old clunker they were in didn't have the usual auto-ground mechs.

Leaving the ship to idle, he moved below deck, and after a couple kicks aimed at the couple macking in the corner, opened up the rear hatch. Riku walked toward the edge to look out, the stupid twosome close at his heels.

Riku almost jumped at the sound of Leon's voice. He'd thought for the sure the guy wasn't going to speak for the remainder of the trip.

"We're getting a room while pipsqueak does his business."

Holy shit on a hamburger, Leon did not just called him a _pipsqueak_. Seething at the crack about his height, Riku aimed a cool glare over his shoulder along with a carefully selected insult. "Aw, silly faggot, didn't you know? Dicks are for chicks!"

Then, turning around, didn't notice the look passed between the lovers.

"WAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Leon smirked as he lowered his arms, previously outstretched to shove a certain somebody out of the ship. Cloud snickered as he watched their associate come to a poofy stop. In a rubbish pile, no less.

He then pushed the close button, granting a small smirk to his boyfriend as the hatch locked shut.

"It's times like these I might truly believe I'm in love with you, Leon."

000

"Who do you think he is Lil?"

Sora continued to poke the body with a metal pipe he'd snaked from the scrap pile, glancing curiously over at the Mog settled on his shoulder. It meeped its little 'kupo's' for a minute before hopping down and kicking the stranger in the face. The stranger didn't stir, only letting out a faint moan and then slapping the Mog away from him.

Lil let out an angry shriek as she flew through the air and into a garbage pile. Seconds later she popped up, and with a banana peel hanging off her pom-pom, sped angrily back towards Sora. She kupo-ed her disapproval of Sora engaging in any further contact with this stupid meanie, and began to plip-plop her way back over to his scooter.

Sora blinked for a moment and then snickered, before turning back to the body. It wouldn't be right, what with the shakes and everything, to leave the poor guy unconscious out here. A lot of the piles were unstable and would probably bury him if they tipped over. Sora's conscience wouldn't be happy with that.

Sighing, he dropped the pipe and dragged the body up, shifting an arm over his shoulders and grabbing the guy's belt so he could pull him along. Dead weight was pretty darn heavy.

"Kupo! Kupo, kupo, kupo!"

Sora grunted as he struggled to get the body on his scooter, hanging him partially over the handle bars so he could get in behind him and drive. He smiled down at Lil and motioned for her to clamber onto his shoulder again. She did, albeit grudgingly.

"So'kay Lil. As soon as he's fixed up, I'm sure he'll go." Sora glanced at the handsome upside down face, a couple strands of silver hair hanging down, the rest tied into a stubby pony tail in back. Cute smudges of oil dirtied his cheeks. "'Sides, he's way too pretty to wanna stay way out here in the outskirts. I'll bet you a million creds he's passing through on his way to Trinity Five."

"Kupo!"

Sora frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "A course I'll tell Mom. And I'll even do one better, and activate the security when we get home. 'K?"

"Kupo."

Grinning, Sora jammed the gas and sped off down the road.

000

"I'm sure this is where he landed..."

Cloud kicked at a stray soup can, perusing the area with a bored expression.

"Whatever." Leon muttered. Like he even cared anyway.

000

Riku woke with a start. He glanced around quicky, taking in the bright colored walls and the general disarray of the room with a calmness one wouldn't expect of someone in such a situation.

He was always suprisingly reserved in his solitary moments.

"Hi there!"

Eyes bulging and fingers grasping, Riku tried not to squawk at the sudden face before him. He scrambled backwards and bonked his head against a wall.

Starring dizzily at the ceiling, his sight was once again obscured by a face. A very pretty face.

Holy shit that was a damn fine face.

Dark sooty lashes surrounded deepest blue eyes, fair skin dusted with a pink flush and short strands of brown hair, swinging inches from his nose.

Riku grinned. Maybe things were looking up if a cute girl had brought him home after a definitely remembered - oh, he'd get those jerks for that - fall from _sixty _feet.

"Uh, hey...?"

"You wanna tell me why you were face up in the scrap yard?"

Riku starred. Okay, so she had a little bit of a man voice, no problem there, her pretty face more than made up for it. Slowly scooting into a better position, Riku looked over the rest of the girl.

A little flat-chested - but hey, again her beauty overcame such pithy faults. He did like the cute little blue short-shorts and the smiley face t-shirt, though. He casually scanned over the rainbow head band shoved messily into her hair and continued down her rather gangly arms and legs.

Awful tall too, but at least Riku still topped her by a solid foot. All in all, a very cute and sporty girl.

He smirked, remembering to pour on the charm. "Oh, my _associates _like to play jokes at my expense, unfortunately. In fact, if you can point me in the right direction, I can be out of your hair and taking care of them before the day's through."

She smiled. "Well, you'll have a long time then."

Riku looked confused. "What?"

"...We haven't exactly had a 'day' for two weeks. You must only be passing through if you don't know. The central system's been out of whack for a while now." She leaned in closer and Riku felt his breath hitch. Damn, she had a gorgeous face. "Between you and me, most everyone believes it's terrorists. You know, Anti-tech."

His eyes narrowed at the words. Oh, it sounded so completely Xehanort that Riku wouldn't have been surprised if the man suddenly jumped out of no where proclaiming his guilt. It was just like him to fuck around with thousands of lives merely to see if he could. Spineless prick.

Riku managed a half smile before rolling out of bed. He then tugged at his t-shirt, getting it to fall loose over his hips.

"Well, lovely lady, I will take your leave then. Thank you so much for your kind care and hopefully your colony won't be out of control for much longer."

She looked at him like he'd just shot a fireball out his ass. "The name's Sora, and I'm a _guy _you asstard."

"..."

God Dammit! Did he have a freaking tattoo on his forehead that said, _'weirdos accepted here_,' or what?!

A/N - one more left to go. REVIEW! Review! Review...


End file.
